Kenny Chesney released his new single, “Here and Now,” on Feb. 21.
Penned by Craig Wiseman, David Garcia and David Lee Murphy at a writing retreat Kenny set up in Malibu, the new tune beckons listeners to live in the present with a chorus that proclaims: “You and me, ain’t it good to be alive / Ain’t no better place, ain’t no better time / Than here and now.”
“This song kind of blew my mind,” says Kenny. “The chorus is everything I feel about my time onstage with No Shoes Nation . . . the rush of it absolutely being the best place, best moment in the entire world. There’s no rush like it.
“I know there will days and moments that suck, but so many of them, we can decide how we feel and what we want to focus on. I’m hoping No Shoes Nation—and everyone else—can hear this and feel really good about the moment.”
“Here and Now,” which will serve as the lead single to Kenny’s upcoming album that’s slated to drop this spring, follows his recent Top 10 single, “Tip of My Tongue.”
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — SEC Media Days will return to the College Football Hall of Fame and Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta this year, the Southeastern Conference announced on Thursday.
The event will take place July 13-16 and will once again feature around the clock coverage by the SEC Network and ESPN.
Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt and the Vols’ three player representatives will take their turn on Wednesday, July 15 along with Alabama’s Nick Saban, Arkansas’ Sam Pittman and Mississippi State’s Mike Leach.
The daily schedule for 2020 football media days can be found below. Names are listed alphabetically by school and not an indicator of actual order of appearance. Daily rotations and times will be determined and released at a later date.
For more information, visit SECSports.com.
2020 SEC FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS SCHEDULE
MONDAY, July 13
Florida – Dan Mullen
LSU – Ed Orgeron
Missouri – Eliah Drinkwitz
TUESDAY, July 14
Georgia – Kirby Smart
Kentucky – Mark Stoops
Ole Miss – Lane Kiffin
Vanderbilt – Derek Mason
WEDNESDAY, July 15
Alabama – Nick Saban
Arkansas – Sam Pittman
Mississippi State – Mike Leach Tennessee – Jeremy Pruitt
THURSDAY, July 16
Auburn – Gus Malzahn
South Carolina – Will Muschamp
Texas A&M – Jimbo Fisher
Universal Music Group held its 11th annual Team UMG at the Ryman event on Feb. 20 as part of Country Radio Seminar 2020.
This event showcased UMG Nashville’s incredible roster, including Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, Little Big Town, Brandon Lay, Caylee Hammack, Adam Hambrick, Kylie Morgan, Parker McCollum and Travis Denning.
Keith and Carrie reunited to perform their 2017 hit, “The Fighter,” which was co-penned by Keith and the late busbee.
Amazon Music chronicles the rise of Kane Brown in a new 16-minute documentary, Velocity, which was released on Feb. 20.
Velocity documents Kane’s early days growing up in Georgia, personal moments like getting a tattoo of his daughter’s name, and his sold-out performance at the Staples Center in January. The new clip features commentary from Kane, wife Katelyn, agent Braeden Rountree, manager Martha Earls and more.
“I’m incredibly proud of the family I’ve been able to build along the way, including not only my wife and daughter but the family I have out on the road that works so hard behind the scenes to make it all happen,” says Kane. “This Amazon Music mini-documentary gives fans a new glimpse into my world, including some of the incredibly hard moments that have led up to this point. I appreciate everyone and all the fans who have been there since day one and hope anyone that watches takes away one thing. That this is a family. And we want to do you all proud.”
Luke Combs will extend his headlining What You See Is What You Get Tour with more than 15 new dates.
The tour, which kicked off on Feb. 7, will make newly announced stops in Dallas, Memphis, Las Vegas, New York, Boston and more. The new dates will feature a new in-the-round stage design.
Tickets for the shows—which will feature special guests Ashley McBryde, Drew Parker and Ray Fulcher—will be available for pre-sale starting on Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. local time with general on-sale following on Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. local time. Luke’s official fan club, The Bootleggers, will have early access to tickets through Ticketmaster Verified Fan pre-sale starting on Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. local time.
What You See Is What You Get Tour
April 18 | Albuquerque, NM | Isleta Amphitheater* (SOLD OUT)
April 19 | Colorado Springs, CO | Broadmoor World Arena* (SOLD OUT)
April 21 | Las Cruces, NM | Pan American Center* (SOLD OUT)
April 24 | Corpus Christi, TX | American Bank Center* (SOLD OUT)
April 25 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center* (SOLD OUT)
Kenny Chesney was honored with the 2020 Artist Humanitarian Award by the Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) on Feb. 19 for his ongoing charitable work.
Notably, Kenny’s Love for Love City Foundation helped spearhead the rebuilding of St. John after the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. In addition to humanitarian aid and working with local teams to facilitate clean-up and rebuilding, Kenny and his staff worked to rescue and relocate more than 2,000 displaced animals of St. Thomas and St. John. The proceeds from Kenny’s 2018 album, Songs for the Saints—more than $1.1 million to date—benefited the Love for Love City Foundation.
Over the years, Kenny has also partnered with a number of charitable organizations, including MusiCares, the Red Cross, Farm Aid, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, ACM Lifting Lives, the CMA Foundation, Kids Wish Network and more.
“I have to tell you, I have a lot of emotions standing up here,” Kenny told the crowd at the CRS opening luncheon. “I am embarrassed and uncomfortable, but God has given me the gift of communicating with people through music . . . and that’s given me a unique platform to help, especially with the Virgin Islands, with Songs for the Saints, which was written in the moment and came from the heart.
“You know, I’d heard ‘One Love’ by Bob Marley my whole life, but when you’re under that kind of stress, to see everyone coming together to rebuild and help? I got to see what that song was in action. What was really amazing were so many people who didn’t really have anything, and the way they gave.”
The CRS Artist Humanitarian Award was created in 1990 by the organization’s board to honor country music artists who have exhibited exceptional humanitarian efforts during their career. Past recipients include Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Trace Adkins, Randy Owen, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, Reba, Vince Gill, Garth Brooks, Charlie Daniels and more.
ATLANTA, Ga. — The WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Selection Committee has named Tennessee standout Rennia Davis to its midseason “Wade Watch” list of candidates for the 2020 Wade Trophy, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
The Wade Trophy, now in its 43nd year, is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women’s basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001.
The 6-foot-2 junior from Jacksonville, Fla., is averaging a career-best 18.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest to lead the Lady Vols, ranking second and seventh, respectively, among SEC players. In conference action, she has averaged 20.1 points and 7.4 rebounds, ranking second among all league players in scoring and eighth in rebounding.
The UT standout is shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 80.7 percent from the free-throw line in all games to rank ninth and third, respectively, in the conference. In SEC play, she is hitting field goals at a 52.8-percent clip to rank fifth among her peers and is third at the charity stripe with an 82.6 percentage.
Davis leads the team in three-pointers with 30 buckets from long range and is second in steals (23) and third in assists (56).
Davis, who has led a young Tennessee squad to a 17-8 record, has scored in double figures in 22 straight games and in 23 of her 24 contests this season. Including last year, she has hit 10 or more points in 36 of her past 37 starts. She has registered five 20-point games so far in 2019-20, moving into a tie for ninth on UT’s career list with 12 games of scoring 20 or more.
She also has tallied eight double-double efforts thus far and would move into the top 10 all-time for Lady Vol juniors with just one more. She currently ranks 11th in career double-doubles with 26 during her time on Rocky Top.
Earlier this season, Davis reached the 1,000-point scoring plateau, becoming the 46th Lady Vol to reach that milestone. She has since climbed to No. 31 on the list with 1,294 points entering the Arkansas game.
Davis previously has been announced as a member of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20, the Citizen Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 and the Cheryl Miller Award Top 10.
The WBCA will announce the four finalists for the honor in mid-March. The winner of the 2020 Wade Trophy will be announced April 2 in New Orleans, site of the 2020 WBCA Convention and NCAA Women’s Final Four.
Click here for the complete 40-member 2020 “Wade Watch” list.
About the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association
Founded in 1981, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.
Luke Bryan has teamed with Constellation Brands to develop and produce his own beer: Two Lane Americana Golden Lager.
The new brew, which features American barley and water sourced from the Blue Ridge Mountains, will hitting the shelves in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia on March 2. Two Lane takes its name from the kinds of places you might find at the end of a two-lane road, including fishing holes, camping spots, dive bars and more.
“Between my songs, Instagram posts and onstage toasts to my audience, it’s no secret that I like beer,” says Luke. “For a long time, I’ve dreamed of creating a beer to enjoy no matter if you are hanging out at one of my shows or at home with friends and family, and I was so grateful to find a partner in Constellation to make that dream a reality.”
Robert Earl Keen had such a good time hosting the likes of Lucero, Bruce Robison, Reckless Kelly, Cody Canada and more during the 2019 debut season of his Americana Podcast: The 51st State that he has signed on for Season 2.
Over the course of his 30-year career and countless number of performances, REK has grown accustomed to standing onstage behind the mic. Americana Podcast: The 51st State gives Robert the opportunity to sit down with an artist in the Americana genre for a deep-dive interview that seeks to expand the roots, reach and definition of the genre. Each monthly episode is told from the point of view of the artists who have dedicated their lives to Americana music.
REK’s upcoming episodes in 2020 include interviews with Lori McKenna, Mandolin Orange, Jamestown Revival and more. To kick off Season 2, Robert sat down with Drew Holcomb of Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, which you can listen to here.
Maren Morris is a self-described “workhorse,” and it’s hard to argue with her assessment.
Maren is slated to be onstage at the Houston Rodeo on March 7, just a couple of weeks before her due date. When Maren and husband Ryan Hurd’s little boy arrives, Maren plans to take two months before she gets back on the road for her first performance, which is scheduled for the BottleRock Napa Valley festival on May 24 in Napa Valley, Calif.
She will follow up that performance two weeks later at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York on June 7.
As Maren told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, “it’s kind of nice to have a goal” of getting back onstage.
“I don’t want to take a year off,” says Maren. “I don’t want to, like, be away from my fans for that long. I’m still, at my core, a workhorse, and I love performing. I love being onstage, and I love to sing, so my turnaround after I deliver is pretty short. It’s only two months and I have another gig, but mentally and emotionally—and I could change after I have my baby—but I think that it’ll be good for me to have an endpoint because if it’s just open-ended, I’m gonna be, like, [having] cabin fever, going stir-crazy in the house, like, taking care of this kid . . . It’s kind of nice to have a goal to be like, ‘Okay, I have two months,’ to not put pressure on myself but to get it back together, bring him on the road with me ’cause that’s gonna be the reality. He’s gonna be a tour bus baby, so it makes me feel like I can do motherhood and my career and not have to compartmentalize them.”
Maren’s current single, “The Bones,” is No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart for the second consecutive week. A solo female artist had not accomplished back-to-back weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart since Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” in October/November 2012.
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